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The grind is real. And most of the time, it can get too real; to the point where our bodies have to tell us, it's time to chill for a day. But typically, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated without a relief in sight isn't the first sign that we need a break. This is especially true when it comes to our mental status.

Taking a mental health day doesn't mean you're lazy or don't appreciate the value of the hustle. It just means that you value your emotional state and will do what you need to in order to keep it intact. And you don't have to wait until you have a breakdown to do it. Instead, keep in mind these signs that you need a mental health day:

7 Signs You Need A Mental Health Day

1.You’re Consistently Unmotivated and Uninspired

Doing the same thing day in and day out, day by day can get really unmotivating. Whether you're an entrepreneur or working your dream 9-5, it's really easy to feel like you're caught in the rat race as you face one mundane day after another. The solution could be to take a mental health day.

Take a day to do something you enjoy that will reignite your passions, or just watch a funny movie to get back up in high spirits. Then, when you go back to your responsibilities, you'll be renewed, refreshed, and restored, ready for what the day will bring as well as ideas on how to spice it up.

2.You’re All Over The Place

If you notice you have a recent pattern of misplacing things, forgetting appointments and responsibilities, and just feel like you can't focus or complete a task in a timely manner, a mental health day is in order. You can use this day to get back on track and create a schedule, a calendar, or whatever you need to not just remember things, but see them coming so you don't feel overwhelmed.

Create a new habit of looking at your calendar the night before to get prepared and fill in anything you might have missed. Whatever you do, take a day to plan, budget, and get yourself intact mentally, to prevent an inevitable breakdown in the future.

3.You Make Rash Decisions

From going too far during a day of retail therapy to channeling your inner Sanaa Lathan on Nappily Ever After– making a drastic change at the drop of a hat can be a hint that you could use a good old mental health day.

It's like you're trying to find some type of relief, and all you can think of is to buy more clothes when in reality, you need a mental break. I know it's so much easier said than done but taking it can make a world of a difference.

4.You’re On Edge

We've all had moments when we're sitting on ready waiting for someone to say something so we can react with no filter. At times, it gets so bad that we misunderstand what someone is really saying just so we have an excuse to react and let out emotions that have been building up over time.

When you feel like you can go off on any given person at any given minute, it might be time to take a mental health day sis. Relax with a massage, a hot bath, a book, or all of the above! Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life and just getting back to you and who you really are can do wonders.

5.You’re Fatigued But Can’t Sleep

…Or you sleep more than usual. Getting off of your sleep cycle regularly can serve as evidence that you need an entire day to focus on staying mentally healthy. When we're exhausted, we tend to get more stressed, which can ironically prevent us from getting the sleep we need.

It's this ugly cycle that we have to be intentional about escaping. Whether you need to just take a day to sleep in or a day to let your body get its much-needed rest, you can't be good to anyone, including yourself, without taking in a mental health day.

6.What Weekend?

Listen, there might be this ongoing joke that Mondays are the worst, but when you feel like you didn't get a break over the weekend and feel overwhelmed just thinking about the week you're about to jump into, you need a mental health day. It's okay if the weekend didn't do the trick. Sometimes we need to take an actual day off of work to get back on track. And you shouldn't feel bad about it.

If you need regular mental health days, Mondays might be bae in that area. If that's completely unrealistic with your job, see if you can at least work from home on one day a week to regroup.

7.You Get Sick

This one might seem a little extreme, but it also might be the way your body is telling you that you need rest. I actually experienced this when I was up for a promotion. I was already super stressed out and afraid to tell my boss that I threw up and needed to go home because I was afraid I wouldn't get the job. I ended up telling her I needed a day, and she was understanding (and I still got the job).

Still, even if no one else looks out for you, you have to look out for yourself. How well can you do your job or run your business if you're not mentally healthy? Being team no sleep might sound great, but it's even more notable when you take care of yourself from the inside out.

Featured image by Getty Images

 

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